KBA CEO interested in link with MAN Roland

Monday, May 15, 2006

Press release from the issuing company

May 15, 2006 -- (WhatTheyThink.com) -- KBA may be interested in forming a partnership or buying parts of MAN Roland to expand its own printing business according to reports from the European press last week. The specific comments were made by KBA’s CEO Albrecht Bolza-Schuenemann to the Boersen-Zeitung.
Bolza-Schuenemann said that if MAN Roland offered some parts of its business for sale, KBA could be a buyer. KBA has not been approached by MAN Roland.
In March MAN AG spun off its MAN Roland printing operations into a joint venture with Allianz Capital Partners. MAN AG owns 35%. The companies plan to take MAN Roland public within the next few years.
In response to Bolza-Schuenemann’s comments, MAN Roland issued the following statement late Friday:
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MAN Roland has received several inquiries in response to Koenig and Bauer AG's (KBA) chief executive Albrecht Bolza-Schuenemann's comments published earlier today that KBA would be open to a future relationship with MAN Roland.
In explaining Allianz Capital Partners' strategy in acquiring 65% of MAN Roland Druckmaschinen, Thomas Pütter, chairman of Allianz Capital Partners' management board, clearly stated Allianz's intention to use MAN Roland as a vehicle of future expansion within the printing industry:
"MAN Roland's strong market position and excellent product know-how give it a solid base for increasing its growth and playing a significant role in the coming consolidation in this branch. We want to support the company in this important phase of its development and use our expertise as a private equity investor to strategically develop MAN Roland Druckmaschinen."
Although Allianz and MAN AG intend to expand MAN Roland's current holdings, it would be premature to speculate whether Koenig & Bauer AG, or any other printing manufacturer, would fit into MAN Roland's future acquisition plans.
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WhatTheyThink.com will continue to monitor these developments.